9 Tragic Cases of Mass Shootings in 2015

The victims were overwhelmingly women and children.

There has been a mass shooting — defined by four or more deaths in one incident by a gun — every month this year. In fact, there have been almost as many mass shootings as days in 2015; and gun violence has become a rising and prominent issue for many Americans. While our country's Second Amendment protects a citizen's right to legally obtain and own firearms, who and what is protecting our right to life? Legislators continually fail to pass common sense laws that'll make it easier to track gun sales and keep firearms out of the hands of those who wish to do others harm.

Until that happens and common sense prevails, people will continue to unnecessarily die and be injured by guns. To date, for 2015, there have been 353 mass shootings in the United States, according to The New York Times which pulled date from the website Mass Shooting Tracker. From the San Bernardino massacre that killed 14, to the deadly Umpqua Community College campus shooting that claimed the lives of nine, and the Planned Parenthood incident after Thanksgiving, which killed three, here are nine incidents of mass shootings that took place in 2015. This list is not intended to scare or intimidate you, but rather to remind you that as we head into the 2016 election cycle that it's important to pay attention to what your elected officials are saying and promising on the issue. To be blunt — your life could depend on it.

A 28-year-old man, Syed Rizwan Farook, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, left their six-month-old baby behind in their California home to carry out the worst shooting rampage in the U.S. since the Sandy Hook Massacre in 2012. The two targeted a Department of Public Health holiday party with many of Syed's co-workers, and were eventually killed after a shootout with the police. Syed and Tashfeen illegally obtained two riffles from their neighbor, Enrique Marquez Jr., and Syed purchased two handguns used in the shooting. The investigation is still unfolding, but Syed, who was born in the U.S., and Tashfeen, who was a Pakistani national, have been tied to radical Islam and ISIS.

Colorado Springs, ColoradoKilled: 3 Injured: 9November 27, 2015

Robert Lewis Dear, a religious fanatic and drifter, opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle on a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Eventually surrendering, Robert was taken alive after a SWAT team arrived, but not before he managed to kill three and injure nine. During questioning, Robert mentioned "no more baby parts" and during a court appearance he yelled that he was a "warrior for the babies." Based on these remarks, Robert's attack on Planned Parenthood is assumed to be related to the organization's abortion services and the clinic's video scandal earlier this year. However, as many, including Teen Vogue, have noted, most of Planned Parenthood's services are related to a variety of women's health services — pap smears, exams, etc. Robert's ramblings have also reignited the call for better mental health checks for those who wish to purchase a firearm. He is currently awaiting trial.

Charleston, South CarolinaKilled: 9 Injured: 0June 17, 2015

After partaking in a prayer circle and a bible study, Dylann Roof allegedly shot and killed nine churchgoers — including state senator Clementa Pinckney — at the historic African-American church, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Before shooting, Dylann proclaimed: "You rape our women, and you’re taking over our country, and you have to go,” and is reported to have hoped to start a race war. He then left behind a manifesto proclaiming racist and horrendous appreciation for black systematic oppression, and was seen in social media posts with the Confederate and the South African apartheid flags. Dylann is in custody and is currently awaiting trial, and while his acts were horrific and he was able to personally buy the weapon used in the attack despite having a criminal record, some positive change did follow his act. South Carolina finally decided to remove the confederate flag from its statehouse.

Tyrone, MissouriKilled: 8 Injured: 1
February 26, 2015

In the south-central Missouri town of Tyrone, 36-year-old Joseph Aldridge went on a shooting rampage after finding out that his 74-year-old mother had died from an unspecified illness. He fatally wounded four of his relatives and three others in his town — which before his actions, had experienced on average one homicide per year. Joseph was found dead the next day from a self-inflicted gun wound. A convicted felon, Joseph was in possession of three firearms.

Roseburg, OregonKilled: 10 Injured: 9October 1, 2015

Chris Harper-Mercer, a 26-year-old student at Umpqua Community College, walked into his writing class this October and opened fire, killing nine, and injuring another nine. After being involved in a shootout with local police, Chris turned the gun on himself, and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Six guns and five ammunition magazines were found on Chris's body after he died, and another seven more guns were found at his home — all legally purchased by Chris or his family. The incident was the deadliest shooting in Oregon's history.

Chattanooga, TennesseeKilled: 6 Injured: 2July 16, 2015

Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, 24, had a history of mental illness and drug abuse before shooting at military facilities in Tennessee, killing five members of the armed forces, and injuring another two. He mentioned in social media posts about seeing the suffering of innocent civilians in the Middle East and talked about jihad prior to engaging in the shooting. In the last year, he legally purchased three firearms from an online dealer. Authorities, however, have not found any official links between Mohammad and terrorist organizations, but the FBI did find that his actions were motivated by foreign terror propaganda.

Harris County, TexasKilled: 8 Injured: 0August 8, 2015

David Conley, 48, killed eight people in August, among them his ex-girlfriend and his own son. After entering her house — where he used to live — he callously took the life of Valerie Jackson, 40, her husband, and her six children who were all under the age of 13. As we've noted before, women and children are overwhelmingly the victim of mass gun violence, and this sick and senseless act is further proof that such acts are usually motivated by misogynistic misgivings. David also reportedly suffered from bipolar disorder.

Houston County, AlabamaKilled: 3 Injured: 1
March 15, 2015

Christopher Lance Joyner, 45, killed his wife, Mary Alice Joyner, and a family friend before turning the gun on himself and injuring another this summer. According to local authorities, Christopher had an arrest warrant out for domestic charges after he violated a family violence protection order. This murder-suicide is yet another example of mass gun violence disproportionately targeting women.

Douglasville, GeorgiaKilled: 5 Injured: 2February 7, 2015

In another domestic dispute, Cedric Prather, 33, entered his ex-wife Latoya Andrews's home and killed her, their two children (ages seven and nine), and her boyfriend. Two other children, one 8 years old and the other 15, were also shot, but survived their injuries. When the police reached the scene, they found Cedric with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and he later succumbed to his injuries. Police had visited the former couple's home twice in 2013 for domestic abuse calls, and Latoya had filed for a temporary protective order the same year.

A report this year from The Huffington Post found that in 57% of mass shooting incidents from 2009 to 2015 involving a current/former intimate partner or family member, 81% of those victims were women and children.